cooke



(No Model.)

W. A. COOK-E, J12, & G. S. GOOKEI FILE FOR LETTERS, BILLSfPAPERS, 6 0. No. 378,869. Patented Mar. 6, 1888} I. a a

N. PETERs Pholu-Lilhognphor. Washington. DJ;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. COOKE, .13., AND CHARLES s. oooKn, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BILLS, PAPERS, 8w.

SPECiFiCATiON' forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,869, dated March 6, 1888.

Application filed June 18, 1886. Renewed March 21, 1887. Serial No. 231,764. (No model.)

To dzlwhom iv may concern: 7

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. GOOKE, J12, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, and CHARLES S. CooKE,of the same place, have invented a new and useful File for Letters, Papers, Bills, 820., of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to that class of files wherein there are one or more needles orstandards, on which the papers are impaled, and a corresponding number of transferwvires, which join the needles or standards at one end,which is separable from the needles or standards when papers are to be placed on or taken from the file. In files of this description, when a paper is to filed, the movable end of the transfer-wire is .disjoined from the needle or standard, the paper impaled on the latter, and the transfer-wire again turned in connection with the needle or standard, and when a paperis to be examined or taken from the file the superincumbent papers, if any, are first slipped over onto the transfer-wire and laid back,leaving the desired paper exposed, and if the paper is to be taken off the transfer-wire is moved out of connection with the needle, which is thus left unguarded, whereupon the paper can be removed. If it is to be again filed, its place may be retained by allowing thetransferred papers to remain on the transfer-wire until it isreplaced; but if it is removed permanently the transfer-wire is rejoined to the needle and the paper retransferred thereto.

Our invention also relates to a perforator for the papers which are to be filed, to perforate or punch holes in the said papers for the insertion of the impaling needles or standards. Heretofore the perforations for this purpose have been made by a separate instrument, and it was a distinct operation from filing the papers.

The object of our invention is to simplify the construction and economize the manufacture of paper-files of the kind hereinbefore described, and also to produce a file which shall be capable of perforating the papers simultaneously with the filing and by means of the filing mechanism, thus dispensing with a separate device and reducing the labor one-half.

The invention consists, first, of one ormore tubular impaling needles or standards and a corresponding number of transfer-wires held in a sleeve or sleeves by means of a bayonetjoint, so that the transfer-needles can be raised and turned to disconnect from the needles,and be retained in that position while the papers are being filed or taken from the file, and guided on their return to the inipaling-needles; second, it consists in making the needle end of the transfer-wire of a suitable shape to perforate the paper and punch a piece therefrom when pressedagainst the paper placed on top of the needle.

In theaccompanying drawings,Figure1.represents a perspective view of my improved file; Fig. 2, a vertical section thereof taken through one of the needles and transfer-wires. Fig. 3 represents upon an enlarged scale the tube or socket in which the transfer-wire is held,with the slot forming part of the bayonet-joint clearly shown. Fig. 4 represents a modification of the invention. Fig. 5 represents an elevation, and Fig. 6 a sectional view, of the file constructed to serve as a perforator.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the tablet, made of wood or other suitable material and forming the base of the file, on which the papers lie. This tablet or plate may, however, be smaller than shown, if preferred, so as to serve merely as a baseplate for the impaling-needles and the transfer wire or wires.

B B are the impaling' needles or standards, which are tubular, and are fastened to the tab let or plate in a vertical position and in a line parallel to the squared front edge of the tablet. The needles or standards are preferably screw-threaded at their lower ends, so that they can be secured to the tablet by means of nuts eta, screwed on them and against the two surfaces'of the tablet in the manner shown. This is the preferred mode of securing the needles or standards, and also the transfer-wire tubes, hereinafter described, as it is the most economical; but other modes of fastening may be adopted.

0 G are the transfer-wire tubes, sleeves, or sockets. These are placed opposite and parallel to the impaling needles or standards and are secured to the tablet in the same manner. In each of the said tubes is a vertical slot, 7),

terminating a short distance below the top thereof and communicating with another slot (1, which extends from b at an acute angle, preferably, in order to furnish an inclined edge for the pin, hereinafter described; but the slot (1 may be at right angles to b, if preferred.

D D are the transfer-wires. The shanks or straight parts of these wires are socketcd in tubes 0 and provided with a pin or projec tion, c, near the lower end, which is entered into the slot Z) so as to turn freely therein. The upper parts of the said transfer-wires are curved and the ends join with and enter or telescope into the tubular impaling-nect'llcs, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

lVhen a paper is to be filed, the transferwires are raised vertically until the pins 0 reach the upper ends of the slots in tubes 0. The ends of the transfer-wires have then passed out of the needles, and the transfer-wires are thentnrned outward on their axes in the tubes that is to say, the curved ends of the transfer-wires are turned in the direction of their respective arrows, as shown in Fig. 1. This movement causes the pins 0 to enter the slots (1, whereby the transfenwircs are held in their upper position, and when the pins reach the ends of the said slots the wires are at right angles to their former positions. The paper is now filed on the needles, and the transferwires being turned back until. the ends are in line with the needles, when the pins have passed out of slots (1, the wires are permitted to fall,and, being guided by the pins and slots b,t-he ends enter the tubular needles u nerringly. Thus the readjustment of the wires for conneeting with the impaling-needles is almost entirely automatic, and there is no liability whatever of their missing the needles so long as the latter retain their perpendicular position; and there is no danger of bending the needles by the contact of the wires with them when resuming their position in connection therewith, as there is no impact of the ends of the transfer-wires with the ends of the needles, as is the case in the files which have the transfer-wires pivoted and controlled by a spring.

By making the slots (1 with a slight downward inclination, the transfer wires retain their open position better than if the slots were atright angles to slots 6.

The modification shown in Fig. 4 has the needle and transfer-wire formed exactly alike, both being stationary and their upper ends curved toward each other so as to leave a space between. A curved tube orsleeve, f, is placed on the needle B and another on the transferwire 0. These tubes slide from one side to the other, but do not slip down on the straight portion of the wire and needle, and when one is pushed over from one side to the other it is stopped when it comes in contact with the sleeve on the opposite side and bridges the space between the needle and wire. hen a paperis to be filed, the sleeves are moved back on their respective wires so as to leave the space open, and the paper is impaled on the needles; but when a paper is to be removed or examined and there are other papers over it, the sleeve on the needle is slipped over to the transfer-wire, so as to bear against the sleeve on that side, thus bridging the space between the needle and transfer-wire, and the papers are passed over the bridge thus formed and transferred to the transfer wire. One sleeve may be used instead of two, as shown; but in that case it would have to be held in place with the fingers when transferring.

In the construction first described, in transferring papers from the needles to the transfer-wires they should be passed entirely off the curved portions ofthe wires before the latter are turned away from the needles Otherwise, when the wires are swung around, the pa pers would probably be torn.

'lheperforatorconstruction of the file, which is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, has the needles, tubes, and transfer-wires constructed and operating in all respects like the construction first described, except that the extrcmeend of the transfer-wire is squared off and fits snugly in the upper end ofthe tubular ilnpaling-needleB, so that when the paper is placed between the end 9 and the top of the needle and the transfer-wire pressed down, the end g, acting opposite the edges of the needle-tnbc,will

cut or punch out a disk of paper, and thus make a hole or perforation for the passage of the impaling-necdlc. The upper end of the impaling-needle should be thin and sharp, so as to form a cntting'edge, and thus when the end 9 presses upon the paper a eutti'ngcffect will be produced instead of tearing the paper. The perforation will be so nearly the same d1- amcter as the needle that no trouble will be encountered in forcing it over the needle. A slight taper should be given preferably to the needle, so that the pieces or disks of paper punched will pass through and out of the tube, which is open at the lower end, without difficnlty.

As shown in Fig. 1, index-leaves F may be placed on the impaling-needles or filing-standards. When a paper is to be filed under a certain letter or in a certain class, the intervening leaves are transferred from the needles until the proper letter or class is reached, the transfer-wires are then disjoined from the me dles, the paper filed, and the leaves retransferred to the needles.

A duplex file is shown and described; but the invention and improvements may be applied to a single file, if desired.

The perforating or punching construction of the transfer-wire and needle or standard may be applied to files in which the transfer wire or wires have a different mode of operation from that shown and described without departing from the scope of our invention.

1. In files for letters, papers, bills, 820., the combination of a tablet, a tubular socket fixed thereto, an arched wire having one end connected with the tubular socket and the other end free, the said wire being susceptible of limitedlongitudinal and vibratory motion, and a fixed wire, also connected with the tablet, and with which the free end of the arched wire interlocks by a vibratory and longitudinal motion in sequence, and unlocks and diverges therefrom by the same motions in reversed order, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of-a tablet, a fixed wire or needle, and a movable arched transfer or keeper wire having one end or leg pivoted in a suitable support and the other end free, the arched wire being susceptible of a limited longitudinal motion, for the purpose of connecting the free end of the arched wire with the fixed wire and to disconnect it therefrom, and a limited vibratory motion, by which the free end is caused to align with the fixed wire or to diverge therefrom, substantially as speci- 3. In a file for letters, papers, bills, 860., the combination of a tubular impaling needle or standard, a corresponding transfer-wire, and a tubular socket, the transfer-wire being placed in the tubular socket and connected therewith by a bayonet-joint, substantially as specified, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a tubular impaling out of conjunction with the impaling-needle enters slot d and sustains the transfer-wire out of-connection with the impaling-needle, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the tubular impalingneedle having its upper end squared off and a transfer-wire having the end 9 squared off, so as to for'inwith the upper end of the impaling-needle a perforator or punch for the papers, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the tube or socket 0, provided with slots b d, the transfer-wire having a pin, 0, in its shank and the end 9 of its curved portion squared off, and the tubular impaling-needle 13, substantially as specified.

WILLIAM-A. COOKE, JR. CHARLES S. COOKE.

Witnesses:

ISAAC P. HUBBARD, A. B. DODGE. 

